


I'm a fool in love (but at least we're fools together)

by CoachMegleg



Series: Cryptage Week: Drabbles [2]
Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Teasing, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, cryptage week, nothing but cute fluff here folks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:34:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26716102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoachMegleg/pseuds/CoachMegleg
Summary: The hacker trusted him with not only his identity, but his heart too so he'd do just about anything to keep the other guy happy.Tae Joon said no flirting...but he never said no to teasing.---Tae Joon wants to keep his relationship with a certain trickster a secret, but Elliot's always been bad about keeping his affections private. He never expected Tae Joon to return the teasing in the most...unexpected of ways.Cryptage Week Day 2- Wink
Relationships: Crypto | Park Tae Joon/Mirage | Elliott Witt
Series: Cryptage Week: Drabbles [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1942861
Comments: 9
Kudos: 37





	I'm a fool in love (but at least we're fools together)

No matter how many times Tae Joon insisted their relationship should be kept a secret, Elliot wasn't the best when it came to keeping his flirtations in check. He was a touchy-feely kinda guy and it was growing increasingly hard to keep his affections for the other man hidden. This relationship of theirs was still so new, so fragile. It'd taken one drunken night that lead to a very pleasant morning curled up in bed together for the two of them to realize that their feelings went beyond just friendship.

Yet, while Elliot was the King of PDA, Tae Joon was hisantithesis.

He wanted to hold his hand, kiss his cheek, take him out on dates- basically, all the romantic, sappy shit he loved most. Tae Joon, on the other hand, preferred to keep up the charade of their mutual disinterest and distrust whenever they were beyond the threshold of their bedrooms. Insisting it was safer to keep a low profile, they teased and taunted and growled at each other in front of the cameras and the other legends, no one truly knowing just how affectionate they got behind closed door.

Hey, at least it made great television!

But that didn't make it any easier to hold back his affectionate urges. Sure, Elliot was a known flirt and on more than one occasion he was caught on camera flirting with another legend- sometimes even doing it right before they were about to finish him off (he still remembered the videos swirling around of his misadventures trying to flirt his way out of getting shot by a certain Miss Andrade). So it wasn't like it was the first time he'd flirted with someone in the arena.

It wouldn't be a big deal if anyone saw him flirting with Tae Joon, right? They'd just think it was an act, a bit. They wouldn't possibly be able to know just how much he'd mean every word, how much he wanted to press kisses against the metal augmentations across his jaw while Tae Joon was controlling Hack, or how much he wanted to get the other man to smile at him with one of those warm, gentle smiles he saves for when they're alone.

No matter how much he wanted to, he wasn't about to push him anytime soon. He already couldn't believe that Tae Joon even _liked him_ like that- he wasn't going to possibly risk everything just over a little PDA. The hacker trusted him with not only his identity, but his heart too so he'd do just about anything to keep the other guy happy.

Tae Joon said no flirting...but he never said no to teasing.

So, Elliot had made it his mission to wink at Hack whenever he saw the drone hovering nearby in the arena, especially if they were on different teams. A little wave, a wink, blowing a kiss- whatever he could think of in the moment. It was subtle, and if the other cameras picked it up, they'd just assume he was teasing the legions of adoring fans he had. No one would suspect a thing! It was a win-win scenario.

The hacker never seemed to complain about it, always rolling his eyes and playfully shoving him whenever Elliot asked if he “enjoyed the show”. Maybe he got hit with an extra EMP or two if he did it on a day when Tae Joon was in a particularly testy mood but beyond that, nothing much came out of it. Elliot wasn't expecting anything in return.

But he certainly wasn't expecting this.

You'd think that on the last match of the season, he'd have a bit more luck on his side. He'd been paired with Octane and some no-named new comer, and both of them had been taken out not long into the match. So here he was, all by his lonesome self, trapped in bunker with two squads closing in on him with his teammates banners tucked securely into his pocket.

“Great. Wonderful. J-Just perfect.” Elliot grumbled to himself, hunkered down in one of the empty rooms. He was low on shield batteries, had just used his last syringe, and he had maybe two clips worth of bullets left for his RE-45.

Well, this was certainly one way to end the season.

Elliot groaned, bumping his head back against the wall as he considered his options. He knew Caustic and Wattson were on one of the other teams in bunker...and knowing them, they'd have all the exits blocked off and trapped by now. He thought he saw Bangalore on the other squad so maybe her smoke grenade would give him some cover...oh who the hell was he kidding, he was stuck here. Might as well just wait for the ring to push everyone out and pray he can sprint out in time using his decoys as cover.

A faint mechanical whirring sound outside the hall made Elliot tense and he quickly sunk further down against the wall in hopes of not being seen. Was it Wattson's pylon going off? Did someone find him? Cursing under his breath, he quickly grabbed his pistol and waited, praying whoever was outside wouldn't come in.

The door opened with an all too familiar beeping sound, and Elliot peaked his head around the corner he was hiding behind to see none other than Hack flying into the room. As the door swung shut behind the drone, there was a brief buzzing sound before Hack's comms activated.

“ _You know, you don't pick the best hiding places.”_

Elliot sighed in relief at the sound of Tae Joon's voice, masked by a bit of static from interference yet comforting all the same.

“L-Look it's not-not my fault my team decided to die on me!” He kept his voice down in case anyone was around to hear them- but knowing Tae Joon, he wouldn't have flown Hack in here to talk to him if there was any immediate danger. Either way, he could just imagine the hacker rolling his eyes at him while Hack hovered by the door, emitting a faint red glow. At least he wasn't completely alone now.

“ _Tch, you're lucky that I found you before the others did, old man.”_

“You're-You're not here to like rub it in my face or something are you?” Elliot huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. That wouldn't be like him- he'd usually tease him after a match, gently jabbing him in the side with every not-so-subtle remark about his higher kill count. Tae Joon wasn't the type of guy to gloat in the middle of a match.

“ _No, I'm here to make sure you do not make a fool of yourself .”_

“Oh yeah, s-sure you are.” Elliot groaned as he stood up, dusting the dirt from his knees, “Look you can just...I don't know- make it over quick? Tell your squad I'm here, take me out, whatever. I'm done with this red-rido-ridic– dumb match!”

Hack didn't move from its position by the door, just hovering there as the sounds of gunfire could be heard from down the hall. As much as he'd like to spend the rest of the match talking with his boyfriend (partner? Significant other? Favorite person in the whole world? They never really did pick a proper title), the ring was going to close in soon and his chances of getting out of here were dwindling by the second.

“ _That would defeat the purpose of why I'm here, idiot.”_

“Wait- what?”

He could hear the muffled curses through the static. Okay, now this was a bit weird. Sure, they were together- but they were on opposite teams. It wouldn't be the first time they had to face off with each other in the arena. Elliot just...well, he hated it. He knew it was all for show, that once the games were over they'd be fine. There were never any hard feelings between the two of them after a match, no matter whose team they were on. Yet Elliot hated it all the same. But Tae Joon...he'd never hesitated before when they'd run into each other as opponents.

So why was he hesitating now?

“ _I will provide a distraction. When I give the signal, run for the exit.”_ Okay. Solid plan. Elliot could follow that. But then something...odd happened.

Hack's bright green eye...blinked at him.

That was the only way he could describe the dimming and brightening of the large, circular optic. Elliot had never seen it happen before. They were both left at a standstill, neither he nor the drone moving as he quickly put the pieces together. Why would Hack blink at him? Did Tae Joon just...?

“Did...Did you just have Hack _wink_ at me?”

There was only static silence for a moment, before a hesitant reply of _“....Shut up”._

Oh, he _did_.

“Aw, babe, that's so cute!”

“ _It is not cute. I did no such thing.”_

“You totally did!”

“ _Do you want my help or not, Elliot?”_

Even over Hack's comms, Elliot could just imagine Tae Joon's annoyed pout. He'd just have to kiss that pout away once this match was over, to thank him for his help obviously. It was only fair.

“Of course I do! Wait- you said signal? What signal?”

“ _Don't worry,”_ Hack turned back towards the door, the familiar beeping sound filling the room as the door opened in front of it, “ _you'll know.”_ Before Elliot could get another word out, Hack flew down the hallway towards the sound of gunfire. What sort of signal was he talking about? Not that Elliot didn't appreciate the help, he just...didn't really know what the hell this “plan” of his was.

He didn't have to wait very long to find out. Glancing down the hallway where Hack went, Elliot snickered as he heard the telltale sound of an EMP going off, along with Wattson's distressed yelp as her fences were disabled. The chaos that ensued as Crypto's team came rushing in the other entrance was the perfect opportunity for him to escape.

Oh, he definitely was going to thank him for that later.

\-----

He didn't end up winning, sadly. Right before he got to the last respawn beacon, a Kraber shot sent him plummeting like a rock (he was pretty sure it was Wraith who shot him- she looked far too smug standing in the winners circle with Tae Joon and Ajay).

Normally, the winners would be busy with after-game interviews, but knowing that squad- it should be over relatively soon. Everyone else had split off to do their own separate things, leaving Elliot just enough time to clean up in the locker room and slip away to his own bedroom to prepare. It was a little after-match ritual of theirs by this point, hunkering down in Elliot's room with greasy take-out that Tae Joon always pretended to hate. They'd curl up on his bed and watch whatever the victor wanted (or, whoever got the most kills- Tae Joon always teased him for whining whenever he lost that particular bet).

The food had arrived not long before there was a series of three knocks against the door. Standing on the other side of the door when he opened it was Tae Joon who, frankly, looked exhausted- meeting with the press always put him on edge, especially if Elliot wasn't nearby to distract them long enough for him to slip away.

Wordlessly, Elliot opened his arms for the other man, feeling the tension in Tae Joon's back loosen the moment his arms wrapped around him. His tired laughter felt like puffs of air against his neck as Elliot began covering his cheeks with congratulatory kisses.

“Congrats on the win. Looks like I owe you a proper thank you for that little plan of yours” he murmured between kisses, nipping along Tae Joon's jaw while his hands slipped up under the hem of his t-shirt. The food could wait for a little while longer.

“You do,” a hand slipped up to cup Elliot's cheek, tilting his face so Tae Joon could lean in for a sweet kiss that sent sparks down his spine, “Nearly cost me the match saving you.”

“If I really make it worth it, will you have Hack wink at me again?”

“ _Not a chance.”_

“Aw, c'mon!”

“Just shut up and kiss me, you fool.”

“But I'm _your_ fool.”

“That you are, jagi,” Tae Joon captured his lips in another sweet kiss, “that you are.”

**Author's Note:**

> Jagi- darling/honey/babe
> 
> Thank you for reading! :D I hope you enjoyed!! Check out #CryptageWeek on Twitter for more great Cryptage pieces, and find me over there at @CoachMegleg


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